The present invention relates to an image communication system using an electronic-mail apparatus which delivers messages, documents and the like via a communication network.
Conventionally, an image file attached to a message can be transmitted by utilizing an electronic-mail system. However, in this electronic-mail system, a transmitting side sends an image file in a format selected by the transmitting side to a receiving side, on the premise that the receiving side can handle the image file.
Accordingly, the receiving side often fails to process the image file attached to the received E-mail (electronic mail). Each time such trouble occurs, an operator of the receiving side has to inform the transmitting side that the receiving side cannot handle the image file attached to the received E-mail by using a telephone or by transmitting a reply E-mail (hereinafter referred to as a xe2x80x9cprocess failure notificationxe2x80x9d) to the transmitting side. Further, an operator of the receiving side has to request an operator of the transmitting side to change the format of the image file and retransmit the E-mail to which the image file of the changed format is attached.
On the other hand, the operator of the transmitting side has to change the format of the image file in response to the request from the receiving side, regenerate the E-mail to which the image file of the changed format is attached, and retransmit the E-mail. Further, even when the transmitting side receives a processing-failure notification, if the cause of the processing failure is unknown, the transmitting side cannot take any measure to cope with the problem. Further, when the receiving side tries to return an unprocessed image file to the transmitting side, if the image file has a large amount of information, the transmission causes load on the network.
It is possible to examine the image file processing capability of the receiving side apparatus prior to E-mail communication, then attach an image file in a format corresponding to the processing capability to an E-mail and transmit the E-mail. However, to examine the image-file processing capability of the receiving side apparatus by using an E-mail protocol, a special E-mail protocol is required, and general E-mail communicability might be lost due to such special protocol. Further, in this case, the system must be greatly changed.
The present invention has its object to provide an image communication system using electronic mail, capable of checking image-file processing capability of a receiving apparatus, generating an image file corresponding to the processing capability and transmitting the converted image file, without substantial system change, and a control method for the system.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an image-file communication system using electronic mail, where, if a received E-mail cannot be processed, a receiving side notifies its processing capability to a transmitting side such that the transmitting side is clearly informed of processing necessary for retransmission and can easily perform image file conversion necessary for retransmission, and a control method for the system.
Other objects and advantages besides those discussed above shall be apparent to those skilled in the art from the description of a preferred embodiment of the invention which follows. In the description, reference is made to accompanying drawings, which form a part thereof, and which illustrate an example of the invention. Such example, however, is not exhaustive of the various embodiments of the invention, and therefore reference is made to the claims which follow the description for determining the scope of the invention.